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Meet the New L.A. Ideal

The image of the torpedo-topped, Beverly Hills trophy babe as the stereotypical plastic surgery patient is about as dated as a Patrick Nagel print. The demand for cosmetic procedures now crosses every ethnic group, altering the de rigueur body shape. In other words, So long, Pamela Anderson. Bienvenidos, Sofia Vergara.

Faux LocksThis might make your hair stand on end, but it’s possible women are actually keeping up with the Kardashians—or at least Kim. Hair extensions, while not technically plastic surgery, are now commonplace in L.A., with many opting for the extra-long dark do of a certain reality-television star.

Full LipsAngelina Jolie is, and, it seems, always will be, the gold standard for a pronounced pucker. Lip augmentation hasalmost doubled between 2010 and 2011 in the United States. A more conservative approach using collagen creates more of a bee-stung, not blowfish, effect.

Hyper-Smooth SkinWith all this body to show, it’s no wonder that 92 percent of patients who get chemical peels are wo-men—more than 1 million of them nationwide in 2011. A mist of artificial tan fleshes out the look.

“Ethnic” NoseRhinoplasty is one of the top five most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States. According to L.A. surgeons, the trend in Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and African American patients is to refine, not alter, overall shape.

Believable BreastsNote that we’re talking “smaller” in relative terms, because full breasts rarely go out of style. Augmentation has been one of the most frequently requested cosmetic procedures in the country since 2006, but the preference in L.A., surgeons say, is a more natural-looking breast size that balances an hourglass shape.

Big BootyFor Latin American women, the end is usually the beginning, with an enhanced posterior that’s in proportion to the breasts—possibly even bottom heavier. The demand in L.A. alone might account for the 235 percent increase in butt lifts in the United States over the last decade. Add the rising popularity of silicone butt implants to the mix, and it doesn’t look like this trend is turning around anytime soon.

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Comments

Although I’m assuming Ms. Miller wrote this article in an attempt to show what body type is “all the rage” currently she did so without giving proper credit to the actual ethnic group that is synonymous with this newly sought after shape and look. Upon looking at the picture of the barbie one would assume this article is about Latin women but after reading all of the characteristics of this “new LA woman” one can not obviously deny that Ms. Miller is talking about the shape and figure and features of a black woman which she proudly gave to Sophia Vergara. It’s hard for me to believe that one could even write this article without not so much as a whisper to a black woman, after all we’ve had hips, ample behinds and full lips before they became “popular” or were mainstreamed enough to be adopted by white women. While it is true that Latin women are (curvier) than other ethnic groups. The title for curves, hips, ass, full lips and broad features has always been attributed to black women and up until recently were thought of as negative traits. How funny is it now that white women are assimilating to the idea of a more full figured frame (which btw was considered beautiful by Europeans back in the early 1500’s) that the credit be stripped away from black women and given to Latino and Arabic women. It seems to me that Ms. Miller and probably a number of other white women just can’t fathom that once again either consciously or subconsciously they envy the power and grace of the black woman’s form.

Why isnt there any mention of a single black woman (ie. Serena Williams, Beyonce, etc.) in this entire article!? Nor is there further discussion on how all of these physical features you explicitly describe are and have always been synonymous with Africans and African Americans? Why??? I understand the article is based on plastic surgeries, but if you are going to further dig into the ‘why’s” and “who’s” and draw comparisons and displays images – I ask that they be accurate and true and at the very least well-rounded. This article is inaccuate and offensive.

I would have to agree with Pelar and Tanja on this article. Though I have noticed these same trends over the past decade gaining more and more steam, I am hugely aware of the source of the admiration. We can pinpoint it back to mother Africa, since we all descend from there, or we can stop at the image of what African-AMERICAN women have always been. With the exclusion of ‘faux hair (i.e. weave)’, naturally the barbie doll above should be standing next to a picture of Pam Grier, Serena Williams, Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keyes, Stacy Dash, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, Lisa Bonet, Phylicia Rashad, and endless others. This isn’t a slight against the other women who stand in the same ‘curvy spaces’ but rather to highlight the ORIGINATOR. As the originator, this group shouldered the persecution of change and ushered in a time of acceptance of their images. We haven’t exactly gotten there but we have the BLACK (African-American) woman’s form SQUARELY to thank for this article, those trends, and the endless amounts of fascination that will continue to till the end of time.

I would have to agree with Pelar and Tanja on this article. Though I have noticed these same trends over the past decade gaining more and more steam, I am hugely aware of the source of the admiration. We can pinpoint it back to mother Africa, since we all descend from there, or we can stop at the image of what African-AMERICAN women have always been. With the exclusion of ‘faux hair (i.e. weave)’, naturally the barbie doll above should be standing next to a picture of Pam Grier, Serena Williams, Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keyes, Stacy Dash, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, Lisa Bonet, Phylicia Rashad, and endless others. This isn’t a slight against the other women who stand in the same ‘curvy spaces’ but rather to highlight the ORIGINATOR. As the originator, this group shouldered the persecution of change and ushered in a time of acceptance of their images. We haven’t exactly gotten there but we have the BLACK (African-American) woman’s form SQUARELY to thank for this article, those trends, and the endless amounts of fascination that will continue to till the end of time.

Black women are always hating. That’s all you guys ever do, alwaysComplaining about something always talking smack always so damn negative!it’s no wonder why the black men who are actually worth a damn always up andLeave the black girls for a Caucasian or Latina woman. Lets get real here andAccept why No one gives credit to you guys, cause once someone doesThat’s all it’s gonna take to here gum snapping and see finger snappingTalking about “I told you so”